Tag Archives: Yamanaka Chushichi

On March 12, 1886, Chushichi Yamanaka and Ihachiro Yamada returned to the Residence together. Oyasama would stay in bed for most part of the day ever since She returned from the Ichinomoto Branch Police Station. When they said to Her that they had returned, Oyasama gave them these words:

“No one knows where I intend to work. If I am awake, it may hinder My work. So I will sleep until I wake up by myself. Do never think that I have grown weak or that I am losing strength.

Now, I will prove this with my fingers. Anyone can poke with one’s fingers. But, see the strength of My fingers with which I pick things up, and consider for yourselves.”

She pinched the hands of the two persons at the same time, and Her fingers were so powerful that their hands hurt very much. They were amazed. She went on to give them the following words:

“Would anyone who is too old to turn over in bed have as much strength as I?

To live to be two hundred or three hundred years old without becoming ill or feeble—would not the joy of man be great? If children were never to suffer from measles or smallpox? If there were no diseases of the head? If an are could yield fifty-six or seventy kilograms of rice? For all these things, God hastens.

Oh, how I regret that the authorities have stopped Me again and again. I cannot help but clear away My regret.

In this world, there is nothing at all for which God does not care or work. There is no knowing what you will hear, or when, or where. I tell you that you must be convinced that whatever you hear, it is the working of Tsukihi. Tell it to those who have sincere minds.

Now is like a time when farmers sow their seedbeds. If you sow the field with unhulled rice, the rice will all sprout in due time. It is just like that.”

21. That’s All to the Good, That’s All to the Good

Around the middle of May 1868, five years from the time Chushichi Yamanaka had embraced the faith, a heavy rain had fallen continuously for many days. The river overflowed here and there, rice fields were washed out and houses were carried away. Chushichi suffered heavy losses. A landslide on his mountain property buried many large trees. Also, his rice fields of approximately ninety ares* were washed out.

People in his village had been deriding Chushichi’s faith and immediately seized the opportunity to heap all sorts of abuses on him, saying, “Look at him! What a fool he is! Stupid one!” Feeling chagrined at what the villagers said, Chushichi visited Oyasama in the Residence and explained the situation to Her. Oyasama told him:

“Sah, sah, that’s all to the good. That’s all to the good. Now that your goods have been carried away to the bottom of the sea, it will come to good in the future. You may wonder why your fields and hills were washed out in spite of your faith, but you must accept the situation with a heart of gratitude. You must do so. That will come to good in the future.”

Chushichi heartily thanked God that he suffered only a small misfortune instead of a calamity.

20. Birth of a Girl

Early in March 1868, Chushichi Yamanaka stayed overnight at the Residence. The next morning, when he went to extend his morning greetings to Oyasama, She said:

“Chushichi, a girl was born at your home last night. They are all waiting for your return. Hurry home to them.”

Chushichi had not expected the baby to be born that soon, so he had stayed overnight at the Residence. Therefore, when Oyasama informed him of the birth he was half in doubt, but he acknowledged Her words, saying, “Oh, I see, thank you.” However, when he met his son, Hikoshichi, on the way and was told the news of the birth, he realized fully the truth of Oyasama’s words. When he further learned that it was indeed a girl, he was filled with awe.

15. These Seeds

Late at night on February 7, 1866, Oyasama, already in bed, suddenly said:

“Take out the crockery pot stored under the altar.”

When the pot was presented to Her, Oyasama called in Chushichi Yamanaka, and said to him:

“I have granted you various privileges until now. However, you might not be able to understand fully if I just tell you. You may worry about falling short of needs when you go along the divine path. You need not worry about anything. You will not be in want even if you wish to be. I will give you positive, positive, positive proof.”

On the following day, when Chushichi went to thank Her, Oyasama was pleased to see him and said:

“This grant is the treasure of your family and of the path. You must be very happy!”

He had been granted a list and four seeds. The list read: wheat — six kilograms, rice — about seventeen kilograms, personal allowance — sixty kan* and sake — about eleven liters. These were granted as eternal seeds. Each of the four seeds was a six centimeter square, white paper packet which was bound on four sides with white string. On the face of each packet respectively was written: “seed of wheat,” “seed of rice,” “money for medicine,” and “money for wine and seed of oil.” Oyasama Herself wrote these words with a writing brush. She also bound the packets with string, chanting:

“Namu, Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto, Namu, Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto.”

It was witnessed that the string did not go through if She stopped chanting. Thus, She gave him the proof that he would never be hard-pressed for the needs of life as long as he followed the path.

14. Dyeing

Kokan immediately began to make preparations. Just that evening, Chushichi Yamanaka in Mamekoshi learned of it through the Invocation of the Fan. His wife, Sono, immediately made preparations, woke up early the next morning before daybreak, and returned to the Residence with some earth* and pieces of cloth in a bundle over her back. She greeted Oyasama and told Her the reason for returning.

“Ah! That’s marvelous! Just last night my daughter, Kokan, and I were talking about the same thing,”

Oyasama said, and was delighted. Similar incidents occurred several times.

The dyeing was done with water from the well northeast of the very place which was later determined as the Jiba, where the Kanrodai was to be erected.

“Draw water from the well,”

Oyasama said. So water was drawn from the well. The earth was rubbed on the cloth and the cloth was soaked in water. It was soaked and dried, and dried and soaked two or three times until the dyed material became a beautiful binroji** color. The water from the well had a metallic taste.***

(Notes)

* When Oyasama visited the home of Chushichi Yamanaka in August 1865, She noticed that the earth from the bank of the stream which ran along the east side of the house would be suitable for dyeing. She therefore expressed a desire to have some of it. Thereafter, that earth was brought to the Residence many times. It is said that the earth was from a compost of bamboo leaves in the bamboo forest.

** Binroji refers to the nut of the betel palm tree which grows in India and Malaysia. In Japan, the meat of the nut was dried and used for dyeing, and produced a dark black color which was called ‘the binroji color.’

*** In Yamato Province there were many wells with water that had a metallic taste. However, water from other wells did not produce as beautiful a dye as that from the Residence.

12. The Sazuke (Divine Grant) of Fertilizer

“As you are following the path of God, in your farming you must not have enough time to fertilize sufficiently,”

and then She bestowed the Sazuke* of Fertilizer on Chushichi. She continued:

“Concerning the Sazuke of Fertilizer, it is not the substance itself, but the truly sincere mind of each person which is effective.”

Further, She said:

“True or false, try it and see.”

As soon as Chushichi got home, he chose two fields and fertilized one sufficiently with the usual night soil, fertilized the other only with the Sazuke of Fertilizer, and decided to wait for the result.

Soon, August passed and September came to an end. The field fertilized with the night soil became thick with green rice plants which promised a rich harvest in the fall. On the other hand, the field fertilized with the Sazuke of Fertilizer seemed lifeless. The stalks were short and stubby and they had turned a slightly reddish color. Chushichi could not help but doubt, “After all, it seems like the night soil is more effective than the sazuke.”

However, at autumn harvest time, the rice plants from the usually fertilized field were infested with insects and some were even empty. In contrast, none of the rice plants from the field of the sazuke were infested with insects and none were empty, although the stalks were a little shorter. It was discovered that the sazuke field actually yielded more rice at harvest time.

(Note)

*Sazuke: a divine grant for salvation bestowed by God the Parent. When it is administered to any person suffering from a physical or mental illness, the person is saved and given the marvelous blessing of God the Parent.

11. God Has Drawn You to this Residence

It was about the middle of January 1864 when Chushichi Yamanaka was thirty-eight years of age. Chushichi’s wife, Sono, had been suffering from severe hemorrhoids for over two years. Her condition became so critical that for several days she could not even drink any liquids. Two doctors had given up hope of recovery. Just about this time, Chushichi learned about the teachings of God from Seibei of Shiba Village. He immediately returned to the Residence* and was granted an audience with Oyasama. She said:

“You have an innen** with God and God has drawn you to this Residence. You need not worry about your wife’s condition. I will save her in an instant, but in return, you must be willing to serve God.”

(Notes)

* In Tenrikyo, Jiba, or the Residence, is the place of Creation. Therefore, it is said that a person ‘returns’ to Jiba even if it is the first time that he goes there in his life.

** Innen: literally “destiny” or “cause and effect.” Man’s original innen is to live a joyous life. Being allow free will, man has used his mind to pursue selfish goals, incurring dust which results in bad innen. In order to change his bad innen into a good one, man must gain merit by using his mind in accord with God’s will.

The following is a translation of Part 53 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the May 2007 (No. 461) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Part 53: Ihachiro and Koiso Yamada

Three months after Ihachiro Yamada (from Deyashiki of Kurahashi Village, Yamato Province) married Koiso Yamanaka on August 22, 1881, Koiso’s father Chushichi Yamanaka accompanied them when Ihachiro had his first meeting with Oyasama. Oyasama said to Ihachiro, “Thank you for coming, thank you for coming,” and welcomed him as if he were a child coming home from afar and explained the teachings to him.